Below is a copy of an e-mail I received today from GORDON SHINN ... If anyone out there would like to contact him, please let me know, and I will arrange contact ... Cheers all !

********************************************************************************

Hi
I was a boarder at Kelso House/Barton Seagrave from 1971 to 1976, being 16 when I left after taking my O levels, when my dad left the army. I had two older brothers - Barry and Michael. Michael left the school in 1971/72 when we were living in Germany. Sadly he passed away in 2009, aged 51. Barry would have left in 1975, I think, when he was 18.
I’ve recent taken early retirement from Hampshire County Council in Winchester, where I worked for 20 years in two 10 year spells, with two years in South Africa in between. After leaving Peter Symonds, we went to Caernarfon where I took my A levels. I married Sharon, who I met at school in Caernarfon. After that I had a career in local government finance and moved around the country and abroad (Jersey and South Africa).
Anyone who remembers me or my brothers want to get in touch?
Thanks
Gordon Shinn

Hi Doug


As mentioned in my earlier e-mail to you, I remember both Mark Steer and John Everett,if he's the one whose dad owned North Walls Motor Works, from my time at Peter Symonds.

A big thankyou to John Piper for his latest posting of a 'Medal' yet to be identified ... the archivist of the TSA is endeavouring to find out more about it, and any information received, whether from him or from other sources, will be published here.

An apology from me also goes to John Piper for taking from December 2016 to get some photos he kindly sent me, posted to the site ... this was due to an unexplained problem with our site, preventing me from posting pictures ... the problem has resolved itself just today, and the photos now appear in Prefects, JTC & CCF and General Photos ... Many thanks John.

A PSSW Medal

Hi All,

I came across this small (27mm dia.) medal



Are any of you chaps able to identify it? I wondered if it might date to the WW2 period and perhaps be cadet corps related. But that's only a guess. 

Look forward to hearing from you.

Regards,

'Pip' 

I am copying an e-mail, sent to me yesterday, from Joanna Costin, in the hope that someone might have information that will help her in her quest about an ex Symondian Osbert Harold Brown ... should anyone have any information, please e-mail me and I will pass on Joanna's contact details ... Thanks ! ... Doug Clews

*********************************************************************************

Joanna Costin

9 September 2016

Hello, I'm researching the 11th Suffolk Regiment during the First World War, and one of the officers attended Peter Symonds School until receiving a scholarship to Pembroke College Cambridge in 1910. I wondered if any of your members might have additional information about him, or whether you would be interested in the results of my research so far. (I realise this is a bit of a long shot!) Captain Osbert Harold Brown was born in Winchester, 2 May 1892 and was the son of Alfred Robert and Anne Brown. He was commissioned into the Suffolk Regiment on 8 October 1914, promoted to Captain 9 November 1914, and went to France in January 1916. He was awarded the DSO for his actions on 1 July 1916, and the MC for a smaller attack on 4 August 1916. He was killed in action on 1 November 1916, while at morning stand-to. Best wishes, Jo Costin

Welcome

A welcome goes to Mark Steer, who has joined us today ...

As can be seen from his post, mark is hopeful of making contact with fellow students who were at the school during his era (1964 - 1969) ...  

We wish him every success in his mission to obtain information that he will be able to share with his 'twin' town in Brittany, as well as provide information for our site.

Doug Clews (Joint Manager)
Western Australia 

Peter Symonds 1964 to 1969

Hi All,

I was at Peter Symonds 1964 to 1969 and haven't thought much about my time there until very recently. I now live in South Wales and am involved in a local Town Twinning. We have just had a visit from our Twin Town in Brittany and talking to one of our visitors it transpires that she was a French Teaching Assistant at Peter Symonds in the late 1960's! She has a school cap and some photos etc from her time there which I hope to see when we have a return trip to Brittany next year.
I will ask her if she will allow me to post on this site.
My time at Peter Symonds was mostly good but as a 'Prefect' I used to dread reading the lesson in Assembly - I was very shy then! Also my time in the CCF (Army) was not without it's problems for me - trying to teach and control younger members subjects like Fieldcraft.
I managed to obtain reasonable A'Level results in Sciences and went on to study Chemistry at Bath University. I then worked in the Chemical Industry for a number of years and am now retired.
I'm now very involved in local organisations particularly the environment and nature. I can't remember the name of our Biology Teacher who inspired my interest in the natural world - perhaps someone remembers?

Maybe someone out there remembers me!

Mark Steer